FAO

An armyworm pest has been afflicting southern and eastern Africa since the beginning of this year. It has been observed in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia and Mozambique with Zimbabwe being the worst affected country so far. The moths of the armyworm are born survivors and they are able to migrate over huge distances. Experts predict that next affected countries will be Tanzania and Kenya.

UN-SPIDER news:

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will develop an open-access database using satellite information to support water-scarce countries in the Near East and North Africa, where droughts and food security are major issues. The portal’s objective is to gather and assess satellite data in order to enhance land and water productivity, and to foster the sustainability of agricultural systems.

UN-SPIDER news:

In the framework of the EU/FAO Improved Global Governance for Hunger Reduction Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is developing the Agriculture Stress Index System (ASIS) to detect agricultural areas with a high likelihood of water stress (drought) at the global level.